Skies of Arcadia: Fanfic: Uncharted Territory

[clockworkmage]

Title: Uncharted Territory
Fandom: Skies of Arcadia (Eternal Arcadia)
Rating: T
Length: 1699
Content notes: Underage Drinking and Age Gaps.
Author notes: Doubles as a fill for GenPrompt Bingo. \o/
Summary: Vyse is feeling left out since Aika and Fina got together, so he goes to the only man who he feels can empathize with him. In doing so he discovers that Aika and Fina's new relationship actually clears the air and gives him a chance at something more with the man he's idolized since they met.

Gilder flashes a beguiling smile down at his young friend, one that Vyse has never seen before, and leans on the bar counter. The air around him is heavy with alcohol and cologne, and it's so cloying that Vyse feels more intoxicated by the minute.

"I'll bet you've never even kissed a girl, huh?" Gilder is drunk, but he doesn't show it. His deep voice rings clear and his narrow, dark eyes are focused on the youth next to him.

Vyse, on the other hand, is a little worse for the wear. "I, um…I haven't. W-What kinda question is that, anyhow?" he slurs his speech and struggles to keep his head upright, looking Gilder directly in the eyes despite his blurry vision.

"You're still as wet behind the ears when I plucked you offa that god-forsaken island." The Claudia's captain slumps off his bar stool some and elbows Vyse in the ribs. "You don't know the first thing about romance either, do ya?"

"Ugh. I shouldn't have agreed to drink so much Loqua. I feel sick…"thinks the teen while he blinks and tries to keep his equilibrium from slipping in front of his mentor. "What does romance have to do with being a successful Blue Rogue?" he shoots back at the older man with a plucky grin, trying to cover how vulnerable he's feeling. "It doesn't help you conquer strange territory or hunt for treasure, so I don't see any need to rush things."

Gilder chuckles and takes another swig of his drink. "You're missing out. All of these beautiful women surrounding you and you haven't made a move once."

This again?

Vyse mimics his tenacity and gulps down the rest of his Spiced Loqua, hiccuping after he swallows. "I-If this is about Aika and Fina, then save it. We've discussed this; they're together and that's that."

"Ah, I see now." The older man pushes their glasses aside and moves closer to Vyse, placing his hand aside his burning cheek. "You're lonely without their companionship, eh? Is that it?"

The boy shudders at his touch and shrinks back. "I-I've just never had much luck with women, I guess."

"Moody little drunk, isn't he?" muses Gilder with another smirk. "You sure that's all it is?"

"Besides, I've never seen Aika or Fina in that respect. They're more like close family, like sisters to me and I…hic! Ugh…" He slumps over the bar and mutters something under his breath, resting his head on his arm and turning to glance up at Gilder. "Could we return to the inn now? I don't…feel so great."

Gilder slides out of his seat and helps Vyse up, looping an arm around the teen's waist to haul him out of the tavern. A gentle breeze blows through the Nasrad city but it carries the humidity of the desert with it, and it collides with the heat already raging within Vyse because of the liquor and he doubles over retching.

"Easy, easy," says Gilder in a soft voice, pulling him up again. "We'll getcha some water at the inn. You should feel better after drinking some."

"Rough night again, captain? Oh…" The inn keeper's voice trails off and her eyes widen a little when she notices that the person on Gilder's arm isn't a buxom woman but a boy instead. "Is he all right?"

Gilder grins back at her and nods. "He just needs some water and sleep. Drank a little too much."

A smile thins the woman's lips. "Is he…with you for the night, captain?"

"W-What?!" gasps Vyse in a weak voice, staring astonished up at Gilder. "N-No, we're – "

"Together for good, I'm afraid. Cute, isn't he?" The Claudia's captain hefts his companion up again and holds him against his chest, cupping his face. "Took my heart the moment I rescued him, little thief…But he's also hopeless when it comes to adult matters, so I can't leave him alone long or…Heh. You see." He turns Vyse's flushed face towards the inn keeper.

She laughs and nods. "Lucky boy. You treat him kindly, captain. Hear?"

Gilder bobs his head in acknowledgment and drags the bewildered youth upstairs to their room. He doesn't give Vyse a chance to grill him with questions after he lays him in bed and fetches him water from a pitcher on the nightstand. "Drink."

Vyse does so with a wary glint in his brown eyes. The air doesn't feel as heavy anymore and his vision is less clouded. "Why did you…? I mean, do you really think I'm…? I…"

"What if I did?" Gilder gets up from his chair and sits on the edge of the bed instead, leaning over the boy some. "What if I told you that I was aware of how the girls felt about each other and I was waiting for you to come around so I had a chance at you?"

"Gods, he's right. I am clueless about this," thinks Vyse with a slight frown. His heart thunders in his ears and blood rushes to his face when he catches a glimpse of Gilder's gaze sweeping over him. "Why does he have to be such a good-looking guy? And such a skilled navigator and captain?"

The older man maintains his distance despite his open stares. "I meant what I said," he states with finality. "You are a cute kid, but that's not what drew me to you."

Vyse swallows hard and hazards a question, "Why me then, when you have all those beautiful women surrounding you, as you so eloquently put it?"

"Where to start? Your determination, your courage, your capacity to care for total strangers?" He takes Vyse's hand in his and lifts it to his lips. "That soft heart of yours?"

The youth wants to pull his hand away but he can't. He feels too feverish and embarrassed to move. After feeling so disconnected from Aika and Fina because of their new relationship, is this what he needs?

Gilder moves slowly at first, gently forcing Vyse into the headboard of the bed and laying his hand on his cheek. The boy blushes well into his ears and gulps again, but Gilder gives him a moment to adjust before closing the gap between them.

This definitely isn't a warmth that Vyse is accustomed to. Gilder's lips slide easily over his and he shivers at the sensations, closing his eyes. Gilder chuckles against his mouth and grips the back of his head to steady him, continuing with his subtle movements. A slight pain jolts along Vyse's lower lips and he instinctively gasps, allowing Gilder full access.

"H-Hmmph…!" he groans and fists the other man's coat, jerking on it some.

Gilder's knee comes down on the mattress and traps Vyse in place, resting between the teen's legs. He forces Vyse's mouth open once more with a nip at his lips, and this time he manages to wriggle his tongue inside. Vyse's protest dies on his own tongue and melts into a moan. He even gets cheeky and pushes back a little on the older man's tongue. Gilder's is rough and raw, and Vyse attributes that to all the cigars that the captain smokes. The flavor of Spiced Loqua is still strong also, but Vyse also tastes something minty on his tongue. His hands hike up to Gilder's shoulders soon after and he wraps his arms around the man's neck.

Deft fingers thread through Vyse's short hair and stroke his scalp, soothing him. Gilder breaks away from him with another chuckle and a slight gasp, panting along with the youth. "That wasn't bad for your first kiss, eh?"

"N-No…not bad at all," breathes Vyse with a shy smile, moving to wipe saliva from his chin with the back of his hand. "G-Gilder…"

The older man skims Vyse's jaw with the pad of his thumb and removes any excess saliva. "Yeah, what?" he asks, all cocky and grinning like a beast of prey.

"You're damned shameless, that's what!" exclaims Vyse with a laugh rising from the back of his throat, pushing Gilder back. "I'm surprised you haven't taken advantage of me yet…Me being drunk and all…"

Gilder frowns suddenly and counters in a wounded voice, "You're not some faceless fling, kid. You mean more to me than that."

Now it's Vyse's turn to feel taken aback. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you or jump to conclusions, I just…Argh." A dark blush blisters his face, but he glances up at the other man and murmurs, "W-We can do whatever you like. I…I don't mind." A hiccup follows his suggestion.

"You're also too soft for your own good." Gilder stands and removes his coat, spectacles and boots. He tosses everything onto a chair nearby and climbs into bed beside Vyse. "But that's one of the things that make you so appealing, I suppose." Dipping lower, he presses a chaste kiss to the corner of the teen's mouth.

Vyse lazily sits up again and raises his arms over his head so Gilder can pull his blue jacket off. His eyes follow the captain's hands while they untie the bandana around his neck and then remove the glass patch tied around his head.

"You know," he starts in a sleepy voice, "Aika's gonna say you're too old for me. She has before…"

"Oh?" Gilder looks over his shoulder after piling Vyse's jacket and other belongings on tops of his own. He slips beneath the thin sheets and pulls the boy closer, lying down after. "Fina would convince her otherwise, I'm sure."

Vyse smirks. "Yeah, but you are almost twice my age, though."

"Don't get cute, kid." The captain playfully scowls back at the teen and pinches his side, delighting in the yelp that follows. "You're stuck with me regardless of age. Get it?"

"Hm…" Vyse's cocky grin softens when he feels those arms around him tighten some. It's embarrassing and brand new, these sentiments, but to him it's just uncharted territory that needs conquering; he's happy to sail these new skies with a man like Gilder. "Lucky me?"

Gilder's lips touch the teen's forehead after and he corrects him, "That's my line."